Gilbert A. Gallo was adept at spotting the talent in others. As the director of national cemeteries across the U.S., he relied on the people he worked with — from those who tended gravesites to those who folded and presented the flags to the next of kin — to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. He knew that ultimately it reflected upon him.

“He was really good at bringing out the best in people,” his wife, Ampara Gallo, said. He would see something in people they didn't know they possessed and would mentor them to bring it to life, she said. “It wasn't part of his job, just one that he took upon himself.”

“He started a program ... for all employees at Riverside and Fort Sam,” she said. It “gave employees the opportunity to learn more about the mission, to shadow and cross-train each other, and then go on to mentor each other in those aspects.”

Gallo retired from the Air Force in 1986 after a 20-year career and was working at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital when he saw a chance to become a director in the National Cemetery Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. After consulting his wife, he went for it.

He trained at Fort Sam Houston and then was assigned to national cemeteries in California, New Mexico, Oregon and other locations.

An early project Gallo started was a Memorial Day roll call, also at Riverside. A number of volunteers would begin reading the names a week before the holiday of the more than 100,000 veterans laid to rest in the cemetery, Ampara Gallo said.

“It was a 24-hour process,” and family members of the deceased often would arrive at the time their loved one's name was about to be read so that they could announce his or her name themselves.

Although the family moved often, Gilbert Gallo enjoyed the outdoor recreation their various environments offered. Northern New Mexico was great for fly fishing, and Oregon was a beautiful place to camp, she said.

But it was always his work that was most important to Gallo. “He took it very seriously. He was a workaholic; he really had a lot of pride in his job,” Ampara Gallo said.